Railway-crossing signal.



G. GANNOVA.

RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY13, 1912.

1,092,552 1 Patented Apr. 7, 1914,

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0. GANNOVA.

RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13, 1912.

1,092,521 Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

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1,092,521 Patented Apr. 7, 1914. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v v 1 v v v u W/TIVE88E8: I V //v VENTOR 1 a. W (7. CAN/Yam WMMMW/Y 7 A TTORNEY llfNllTED @TATFE PATENT @FFTQE CALOGERO CANNOVA, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

RAILWAY-CROSSING SIGNAL.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OALoGERo GANNOVA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Crossing Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety devices used in the operation of railway trains and has for its object the construction of appliances for the operation of alarms or warning signals at railway crossings.

The invention consists of plungers connected to the rails of the track at some distance from the crossings and moved by the wheels of passing trains, which plungers are connected by cables or cords to the signals operated. The signals are located at or near the crossings so that the warning is given in ample time before the passage of the train. My invention is purely mechanical and automatic, having no electrical connections or manual devices of any kind. This system of signals is particularly useful in connection with automatic gate-controlling systems which are actuated by passing trains, as some system of warning is necessary to remove the danger attendant upon the operation of gates so controlled; but, although the signal is essential to the safe operation of such a system, my invention may be employed separately and independently thereof, as it is adapted for use when no gates are required.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the invention as applied to a section of railway track, showing in side elevation the plunger boxes, cables and gong included in the apparatus for one crossing. Fig. 2 is an en larged side elevation of a portion of rail with the plunger box attached, showing the gear wheel and arm operated by the plunger and the cable leading to the warning gong. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of one of the cable supports secured to a rail for carrying the cables and clamps for securing the support to the rail. Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of the plunger operated by the car wheels, a portion being broken away revealing the internal characteristics. Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 2 with the rail shown in part. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 2.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1912.

Patented Apr. *7, 1914 Serial No. 709,252.

Referring to the drawing, 1 is a railway rail having bolt-holes, 1, through the web, for attachment of the usual fish-plates, and provided with a vertical slot for the admission of the plunger 2 which is in the box 3 secured by bolts 4 under the flange of the rail. The plunger 2 extends upwardly through the rail, the projecting end forming a sharp angle the longer plane of which is faced from the crossing. A mortise in the center of the plunger accommodates a rectangular frame, 6, provided with vertical posts, 7, bearing compression springs, 8, seated upon oppositelydisposed angled arms, 9*, depending from and integral with a fulcrum-seat, 9, oscillating upon a fulcrum-pin or bolt, as 12, secured within the box 3. The posts, '7, reciprocate through the spring-seats, 9 the vertical portions of which afford a guide-way for a bar or stud, as 10, disposed upwardly from and integral with the base of the frame. A central vertical slot, 5, through the plunger permits the latter to be depressed by passing trains, and restored by reaction of the compression springs.

The lower corner of the plunger is toothed, as 13, to engage a toothed segment, or mutilated gear wheel, as 14, carried by an axis 15, journaled in suitable hearings in the box frameand carrying an arm, 16, to the upper and hooked-end of which, 17, is secured a retractable spring, 18, the opposite end of the latter being secured at 19, in the outer wall of the box. To the lower end of the arm, 16, is secured a cable, 20, which, passing under a pulley, 21, in the box, 3, over a pulley, 22, (shown in dotted lines) rotated within an upright support, 23, bolted to the flange of the rail, and over pulleys, 25, of cable-supports, 24, secured to the rail at suitable intervals, and is attached to the lever, 26, of the gong, 27 secured under the rail to a crossbar, 28, extending between ties, 29.

It is now clear that trains passing in the direction of the crossing, will cause the plunger to be alternately depressed, by contact with the wheels, and restored by the reaction of the compression springs; and, by the engagement of the plunger with the mutilated gear, the latter will oscillate the arm with the attached flexible link, thus producing practically continuous ringing of the gong. The spring 18 restores the gear, 14, after each engagement by the plunger. A

block, 3, within the box serves as a normalstop adjacent which the plunger rests. It is not essential that the end of the plunger exposed above the rail, be of the angled form illustrated and previously set forth. All that is desired is that it protrude a suitable distance above the rail. Trains passing in the opposite direction, or from the crossing, will not actuate the alarm, as the plunger will be swung upon the pivot, 12, toward and to the stop-block, 3 and when the wheels have passed the plunger will be restored to-normal by a retractable spring, 30, one end of which is secured to a pin, 31, at

13 the apex of a V-shaped mortise in the plunger and the opposite end of the spring is secured within a similar oppositely-disposed mortise in the normal-stop, 3. These mortises are provided to permit lateral move- I ment of the spring due to the changes of 1 position of the plunger.

The box 3 on the other side of the crossing is a duplicate of the box 3, the plunger 2 and the other parts being the same as those in the box 3 already described. But the plunger and other parts in the box 3 are faced in the opposite direction so that they.

are operated and the gong sounded by a train approaching the crossing from the opposite side, the cable 20 passing over pulleys in the supports 24 in the same manner and being attached to the gong lever 26. The cable support 24 is secured to the web of the rail by a bolt 32 passed through the support and into the rail and by a clamp 33 which passes under the rail and is hooked over the flange on the inside, a bolt 34 passing longitudinally through the downwardly extending corners of the support and through the clamp, securing the former firmly to the clamp.

- The supports 24: and also 24* are provided with pulleys for the cables operating the gates, if it is desired to use the gate and the signal devices together, as the pulleys 35,

36 and 37 shown in Fig. 3.

It is necessary that means he provided for releasing the tension of the cables 20 and 20 after the gong lever has been pulled by the arm 16 and restoring the cables to nor mal position. I have therefore provided coil springs 38 and 39 to encircle the respective cables, they being secured to the cables at the ends farthest from the gong, the other ends being secured respectively to the outer faces of the supports 24 and 24: The tendency of the springs is to constantly draw the cables toward the gong, restoring them to normal instantly after the gong has been sounded, thus making it possible for the gong to obey the rapid impulses communicated to the plunger-lever by a swiftly passing train. A similar spring, 10, within the box, 3, the upper end of the spring being attached to the box and the lower end secured to the cable, constantly draws upon the latter from the arm 16.

My invention may be modified and made applicable to railroads crossing each other so that a warning is given by either train approaching the crossing and may be changed to accommodate itself to roads constructed in almost any manner without departing from the general principles of the invention. Itherefore wish to claim broadly any and all modifications of the device embodying the general construction herein set forth.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. A railway-crossing signal comprising a rail having a vertical slot therein;a toothed plunger extending through and above and pivoted below said slot; a pivot-seat carried by and movable longitudinally of the plunger, whereby the plunger may be moved longitudinally or swung laterally; retractable means between said pivot-seat and plunger, whereby the plunger is restored after longitudinal movement; means for preventing lateral movement of the plunger in one direction; means for retracting the plunger after being moved laterally; gear-j ing operated by depression of said plunger;

a distant signal; and a retractable link controlled by said gearing for actuating the signal. v

2. A railway-crossing signal comprising a rail provided with a vertical slot; a toothed plunger extending through and above said slot and provided with a longitudinal slot;

a pivot extending through said latter slot upon which the plunger may reciprocate longitudinally and swing laterally; retract- 5 able means between said pivot and plunger whereby the plunger is restored after being moved longitudinally; a retractabletoothedv segment turned by depression of the plun ger; a distant signal; and a reotractable flexible link between said signal and plunger, whereby the former is actuated by movement of the latter.

3. A railway-crossing signal comprising a rail having a vertical slot therein; a toothed plunger extending through and above said slot and provided with a longitudinal slot;

a pivot within the latter slot upon which the, plunger may move longitudinally and later ally; oppositelydisposed arms journaled 12 upon said pivot and movable longitudinally of and within the plunger; compressionsprings between said arms and plunger for restoring the plunger after longitudinal movement; means for preventing lateral movement of the plunger in one direction;

means for restoring the plunger after being moved laterally; a toothed segment opera-ted by depresslon of the plungerpmeans for restoring the segment; a signal; a flexible 13o link between said signal and segment Whereby the former is actuated by movement of the latter; and means for retracting the flexible link.

4. The combination With a railroad rail having a vertical slot therein, of a plunger extending through and above said slot; :1- pivot-seat carried by and movable longitudinally of the plunger; a pivot-pin for the pivot-seat whereby the plunger may be moved longitudinally and laterally; compression-springs between said pivot-seat and plunger for restoring the plunger after longitudinal movement; and gearing actuated by depression of said plunger.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

CALOGERO CANNOVA. WVit-nesses H. O. GARDINER, M. S. GRANDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

